Tish Hollis, Tokai
I just want to say a huge thank you to the three security guards from Grit Security who assisted when I was mugged in the underground parking at Checkers, Muizenberg, on Saturday November 12, at 10.30am.
They gave their names as Michael, Lindekile and Josephine.
I want the community to recognise these guards as they go out of their way to protect us. If it were not for them, the outcome could have been far worse.
I was attacked by a man – I don’t know where he came from. He grabbed me from behind, dragged me and then threw me against a concrete wall, snatching my handbag. I screamed for help and in seconds Michael and Lindekile were on the scene and started to chase him.
I was badly hurt, so I’m not sure how long I had stayed on the ground when a man from Checkers came running into the car park (so sorry I didn’t get his name), holding my handbag.
He had seen the man being chased by the security guards and saw him throwing my handbag to the ground. He asked me if everything was in my handbag and I told him no, as my purse was missing and I had just drawn a large amount of money. He told me that Michael and Lindekile would not stop until they had apprehended him.
I was too shaken to move so about 20 minutes later, this same Checkers gentleman came to me and told me that Grit Security Guards had requested that I report to their office and the Checkers gentleman was kind enough to show me the way.
When I arrived, to my amazement there was the man who had mugged me and my wallet was on the counter. The guards asked me to check my wallet which I did. I informed them that all my cash was missing.
I turned to the man and asked him where my cash was and he denied he had it. I told him if he didn’t tell the truth, the outcome would be bad. He said that he had hidden the money in some yard. The guards then handcuffed him and took him to where he said he had hidden the money.
Twenty minutes later they came back and said he had lied and had in fact hidden the money on his body. After they searched him I counted the money and saw I was only R150 short which I was not going to stress about.
The guards asked me if I wanted to press charges and I said yes, because the man had three very dangerous weapons in his bag and I was so badly hurt and shaken up. I also had my dear old friend who I had taken shopping and she was very shaken up and is still trying to recover.
So again, after this awful ordeal, I would like to say if it was not for Grit Security guards I would have lost all my personal belonging – ID etc – in my handbag.
Please put this out to our community as they never get recognised for the sterling work they do.
